Committee advances 'tougher tattoo' bill to full Senate debate

The Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee advanced a bill Monday that would increase the penalty for tattooing a minor.

HB227, sponsored by Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, is intended to curb the tattooing of high school students who don't have parental permission.

"There is a real lack of respect for parental permission (in tattoo parlors)," Ure said. "Go to any high school and walk around and look at the kids and see how many of them have tattoos."

The bill, which now goes to the full Senate for debate, would make tattooing a minor without a parent or legal guardian present a class B misdemeanor instead of a class C, allowing for violators to be fined as much as $1,000.